On Friday afternoon, students gathered at HLK Lobby for a clothes swap arranged by SSA (Students for Sustainable Action).
Clothes swap is a bi-annual event organized like a pop-up secondhand store where students are able to freely take what they need from donated clothing. A few days prior to the event, students dropped off their valuable but no longer needed clothes and shoes at Rio. Then, the Swap team sorted the clothes and prepared them for display on the day of the event.
Lea Grabo, the project leader of Swap team, said the main goal of this event is to give JU students an opportunity to donate unwanted or no longer worn clothes instead of throwing them away. It is also a good way to hang out with friends and at the same time get involved in sustainable action.
The event aims to raise awareness of the importance of considering second-hand items first instead of shopping for new clothes. Since fast fashion has been one of the biggest problems – because more clothing produced equals more waste – swapping clothes is one of the alternatives to combat this issue.
“[Clothes swap] is one of SSA’s biggest events throughout the semester and helps SSA to reach its goal of making JU more sustainable. It is always a great opportunity for us to talk with people about our goals and the aim of the association,” Grabo said.
Aside from students getting a chance to declutter and refill their wardrobe with clothes they wanted, they also engaged themselves for a good cause. Furthermore, they enjoyed strolling around with friends and looking at various items while having some fika.
“We are very happy with the outcome of the event! A lot of clothes were donated prior and more than half of them were swapped throughout the afternoon. We hope every student that came enjoyed the clothes swap as much as we did!,” Grabo said.
Clothes swap is a great way not only to minimize waste but also to catch up with friends. “I want to thank everyone that donated clothes, every student that attended the clothes swap, and my team for making it all happen,” said Lea Grabo.
SSA continually strives to make JU campus more sustainable. To get updated about their events, visit SSA’s website.
